As a Host for the English Radio of CBC in Montreal, you will host the flagship weekday program “Daybreak”, in keeping with Corporation standards and policies. More specifically, you will keep up with all political, social, economic and cultural developments relevant to a local Montreal audience and maintain contacts with various sources. You will do the research necessary for interviews and other program activities. You will write or adapt intros. During production meetings, you will assist in planning and choosing content for the program. Your role as a host will also include community outreach at public events.

Qualifications

We are looking for a candidate with the following:

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.

Five (5) years’ on-air experience or equivalent.

Proven journalism skills.

Excellent command of the working language (English).

Very good knowledge of the other official language (French).

Extensive general knowledge.

Extensive knowledge of stories and issues in Montréal and Québec.

Understanding of the culture of French Canada.

Strong high-energy on the air, strong ability to connect with audience.

Team leader.

Ability to work under stress.

Candidates may be subject to an audition in English and knowledge testing.

This is a contract position.

We recognize the importance of a diverse workforce and we therefore encourage applications from Aboriginal peoples, women, members of a visible minority and persons with a disability.

Sound interesting? Apply now! We thank you for your interest, but only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Job: Programming and Production

Primary Location: Montreal

Job Posting: Mar 19, 2010

Unposting Date: Mar 30, 2010

Status of Employment: Contract

Work schedule(s): Full-time

It’s funny, I know someone who fills all those qualifications perfectly…

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17 thoughts on “CBC posts Daybreak host position”

I have not given up. As you have indicated, the job is now posted. It was my intention on setting this Facebook group up to see where it would go. As you can see there are several people much more passionate about this subject than I. To me it would have been preferable for the CBC to keep Nancy Wood. If Nancy wishes to apply (which I doubt) as I agree, she fits all the criteria and more, I doubt that she would be considered. I have been involved in politics since a very young age. These days I don’t spend my time on lost causes, despite my conviction. I am very disappointed by the CBC’s decision to remove Nancy. There have been many,many decisions in Montreal radio that I have strongly disliked. This is but another.

Nancy has advised me that she still has a career at the CBC and that they will choose someone else to be the morning show host.

(1) You really find a CBC employee’s reassignment surreal? I understand you disagree and think Wood was treated badly. But surreal? The fact that CBC Radio dumped its morning host isn’t surreal – it’s about the only thing that links the broadcaster to the rest of Montreal radio reality.

(2) But let’s accept your premise, that the events of the last few weeks have been surreal. Is it really more surreal that CBC is, first, hiring for the gig and, second, not restricting itself to another internal candidate?

Nancy Wood says she’s moving on. Maybe it’s time to chill out with the surreal nonsense. When they hire Laurie and Olga, go for it.

I find a forced reassignment to be unusual, especially when there’s no obvious reason behind it. But the saga in general I find surreal, especially from Nancy Wood’s perspective. It’s not that I think she should have a lifetime job as host of Daybreak, but this business of telling someone her contract isn’t being renewed, refusing to confirm it to listeners until weeks later (they still haven’t said anything on the air, unless I missed it), and now posting for someone new seems just a bit much for me. I mean, should she apply for her own job?

So I guess you don’t find it surreal then. I don’t even find it unusual. Sounds like the ratings are down (and presumably not trending up). Whoever is in charge of the show obviously doesn’t like it and decided that there’s little reason to expect it to improve. Thus, they told her that her gig would be up at the end of her contract. One could argue that it’s sound practice to separate your recently-fired outgoing host from a microphone three hours a day. This is, after all, standard practice in broadcasting.

(As a daily listener – for between 15 and 60 minutes each morning – I can’t say I’ve found Wood’s tenure to be all that different from Finnerty’s. To a certain degree I think Wood is a victim of a lousy format and a weak supporting cast.)

So, rather than ride out the end of the contract, CBC decides to start fresh ASAP, much like Bob Gainey with Georges Laraque. CBC is taking the hit here, and I don’t find this so unusual. That management decided to do this quietly doesn’t seem like such a big deal to me. An on-air discussion of Nancy’s departure seems unnecessary, perhaps even cruel; it’s clear she’s gone and her English media colleagues, including you, have made that clear to Montrealers. Given this, CBC’s decision to seek a replacement through a job ad is about as far from “surreal” or “unusual” as anyone could reasonably imagine. What else would you expect?

Given your own recent, thoughtful discussion of your employment at the Gazette, it’s odd that you find Wood’s treatment so bizarre. Ultimately, Wood lost her assignment but still has a job, despite presumed poor performance (and none of us knows – nor should we – what expectations might have been established for her and under what timeline). Maybe that’s what’s so unusual.

Wood is right – it’s time to move on. How about a discussion of the kinds of changes Daybreak could benefit from? I’ll start with an idea: dump the interviews, especially with bureaucrats whose English handicaps them. Let the Daybreak team spend more time filing reports in advance, offering a little bit more depth and little bit less Shawn-Appel-is-out-on-the-stree-where-nothin-is-happening-yet-with-a-cell-phone. I’m always amazed how shallow the reporting is given the large swathe of time available to the Daybreak staff. Second: ditch the banter, or find a team that’s quick-witted.

They tried hiring a woman and obviously weren’t pleased with the decision. The CBC says it also welcomes “applications from Aboriginal peoples, members of a visible minority and persons with a disability.” And just what would you guess your chances of being hired if you were an Aboriginal, a member of a visibile minority or a person with a disability?

I have a better idea: Dig up some tapes of interviews conducted by Sydney Margles (?sp) when he was with CJAD, and listen to how an interview ought to be conducted. It was wonderful, listening to him interview Drapeau; he did not let himself by pushed around by Drapeau, who was well-known for not wanting to answer questions.

Do you seriously believe they are considering candidates for this job? The great unspoken here is the fact that CBC management already has selected Nancy Wood’s replacement. The application process is strictly to give the appearance of consultation and fairness while at the same time respecting their current collective bargaining agreement. It happens all the time.

For crying out loud, can we stop hearing about Nancy Wood and move on with our lives? She got fired because her boss didn’t like her. Deal with it, already. That’s radio. Though usually not CBC’s style. (I never thought they cared about ratings. That’s why I thought it was never even possible to be fired from the CBC.) Face it, it’s over for Nancy at Daybreak. Lets hope she lands on her feet in another Mother Corp. job she likes. But lets not all jump out the window. And stop talking about Nancy Wood. Nancy Wood. Nancy Wood. If she was so goddamn great she’d still be in front of a mic!